Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour – Turandot

Client:

Opera Australia

Services provided:

Stage and complete set construction

Event:

Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour, Turandot

Location:

Mrs Macquarie’s Point, Sydney

The brief:

Following the successful delivery of the giant, rotating, 15-tonne head of Queen Nefertiti for Aida in 2015, Opera Australia again engaged Staging Rentals & Construction (SRC) to create the entire stage set for the 2016 Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour, Turandot.

How it was brought to life:

Working closely with Opera Australia’s production manager, Cliff Bothwell and head designer Dan Potra, SRC’s CAD team developed the technical and engineering drawings required to bring this complex design to life.

The 12m long dragon’s head was formed from over 300 cubic metres of EPS which was laid over an aluminium and steel endoskeleton. The EPS skin was produced using a combination of foam blocks carved by SRC’s new 7-axis robotic arm and finished by our hugely talented scenic team of sculptors and painters.

The 18m tall Pagoda tower was constructed from approximately 12 tonnes of steel and aluminium. The external cladding of the wall was opaque acrylic with a scenic paint wash so the tower can be internally lit at night. Embedded in the front of the tower is an 8m tall drawbridge with a self- leveling platform on top. This was operated using a kinesis flying system provided by Pollard Productions. The tower’s conical top opens in 6 sections in the fashion of a lotus flower to reveal performers within.

Both pieces were transported by barge to their final destination at Mrs Macquarie’s Point and craned into position on the over-water stage and fully configured on site.

What our client thought:

“The stage and set construction of Turandot on Sydney Harbour 2016 was an incredibly ambitious and complex build. Staging Rentals & Construction successfully brought designer Dan Potra’s vision of a 60 metre, fire breathing dragon and his 18m tall iridescent silver pagoda tower complete with drawbridge to life, and once again played a key role in enabling Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour to stage a spectacular new production of Puccini’s famous opera.”